Aggro Issues

Bithnar · 05-24-2006, 04:01 PM

Did anyone notice a problem with the earth pet holding and taking aggro last night? I could cast swarm of bats on a mob last night and half the time I would be half health by the time my pet go aggro. Im lvl 60 and the pet had Elemental vestment running on it at the begining of battles so he's doing masive damage up front to my little 90 or so a tick damage. Also I noticed the pet taking longer to switch to a new target if I so directed it to do so.

Cele · 05-24-2006, 07:04 PM

Bithnar wrote:

Did anyone notice a problem with the earth pet holding and taking aggro last night? I could cast swarm of bats on a mob last night and half the time I would be half health by the time my pet go aggro. Im lvl 60 and the pet had Elemental vestment running on it at the begining of battles so he's doing masive damage up front to my little 90 or so a tick damage. Also I noticed the pet taking longer to switch to a new target if I so directed it to do so.

I was just coming here to ask that same question. I am level 33, and my tank pet is Adept III. Suddenly, he is having a hard time holding agro, even if I wait longer than usual before nuking.

Odd!!

Joren_Wolfheart · 05-24-2006, 08:13 PM

I reported this a little over a week ago on test.Seems that the tank pet just isn't taunting very much, and isn't group taunting at all.I'm sure it will get looked at soon. =)

DobyMT · 05-24-2006, 08:13 PM

This has been an issue for months and months, just at lower elvels its hard to notice, cause A) mobs die fast or B) the nuks you are casting aren't causing enough dmg to out-hate the tank pet. Howvever, once you start getting some spell upgrades, you'll notice quickly that the tank pet doen't even actually cast his taunts around half the time. If u use Possess you can FORCE him to use his taunts, but thats really a pointless way to wait 3 minutes per mob to make sure that the taunts have all been cycled LOL. This has been addressed by the entire community, and instead of getting tank pet taunt issues fixed, the devs decided to take some dps from him, thereby lowering his aggro even more. Best bet, don't solo anything that you yourself can't tank.

Xalmat · 05-24-2006, 10:45 PM

How do you open your fights? For me it's always been swarm pets, DoTs, then stun, in that order.Make sure your defense stance is at least Adept III, and you always have your damage shield and Fire Seed buffs on your pet.I also recommend getting the Shockwave achievement. I've had a lot of success with it.

Message Edited by Xalmat on 05-24-2006 11:46 AM

Bithnar · 05-24-2006, 11:21 PM

Xalmat wrote:
How do you open your fights? For me it's always been swarm pets, DoTs, then stun, in that order.

Make sure your defense stance is at least Adept III, and you always have your damage shield and Fire Seed buffs on your pet.

I also recommend getting the Shockwave achievement. I've had a lot of success with it.
Message Edited by Xalmat on 05-24-2006 11:46 AM

Where I noticed it last night was in Temple grounds. I am still using the Master 2 defensive stance and the pet is Adept 3. I was actually using swarm of bats to pull a scaleborn from around others to keep from getting too close. Once its cleared the area usually 2-3 ticks of the dot it meets my pet. I always have fire seed an damage shield on my pet. Plus I also have elemental vestments on the pet (maybe the wrong name its the one that does 400+ damage for up to 5 hits) its a Master 1. I usually do the same swarm pets then dots. I have never had this problem till last night I have hunted the same area off and on some in lvl 57-60 and never had aggro troubles till last night. It was odd.

Message Edited by Bithnar on 05-24-2006 03:22 PM

DobyMT · 05-25-2006, 12:22 AM

You can try to pull with snapping mandibles, thats usually a little less hate than the dot, seeing as the dot is a debuff as well. OR, u can prox pull mobs. Or you can pet pull with Vehement cast. Or, you can pull with Frigid Winds, since it is an unbreakable slow. That was works well for pulling, but as its a dot, and a slow, it really pisses mobs off. I would suggest pulling with a DD, IE, Mandibles, Calcify, and then as the mob came near, rooting, then sending in pet. This is for pet tanking anyway SMILEY

Bithnar · 05-25-2006, 12:55 AM

Like I have said I have done this countless times before without a problem till last night.

Xalmat · 05-25-2006, 12:58 AM

Why are you guys pulling with such high aggro spells? I always, always, always pull with a super low aggro spell (Dust Blast).

Jeradim · 05-25-2006, 03:10 AM

I pull with the Fiery Doom line because it has a greater range than anything else. If I can't reach it with that I'll pull with the pet (presuming no social mobs). I don't care what spell you lead off with, a tank pet preloaded with BP and/or EV should be able to pull aggro off you. I've definitely noticed that the tank pet isn't taunting much or holding aggro that well, but it didn't just start last night. I wonder if taunting is based on their attack speed somehow? In defensive stance the pet isn't swinging as much so perhaps doesn't fire off taunts as much? Whatever, I've just gotten in the habit of cycling targets like the old days and stunning/rooting/snaring to make my escape if he won't take aggro. I gave up on the tank pet a long time ago and only use him if I absolutely have to.

tbotus · 05-25-2006, 03:51 AM

For pulling, send your pet in, then use Call Servant (begin casting as pet runs in), back pet off with the macro and set it to defend itself again. This will eliminate you ever touching the creature and allow for much more DPS throughout the fight. When you pull with a spell, even a low one, the aggro table is more or less permanently slanted towards you regaining the hate.--Raygo

Sagi · 05-25-2006, 08:06 AM

Usually this is how I pull: Scope out a nice spot to sit with a good line for the mob, Frigid Winds, Swarm Pet, Fiery Ann, just to keep aggro from swarm pets, and then send in pet witha stun, sometimes it may take stun and shattered. The pet will gain, and hold, aggro throughout the fight. Pulling with Frigid at max range will usually drain a decent portion of health long before ever having to send in pet, and then using Vehement Stone...........just keep the dps Steady, and remember to lead with blazing when sending in pet to take aggro wheather the pet taunts or not. I keep my Blazing linked to my pet attack hotbutton just for convienance (if thats spelled wrong, I'm kinda out of it atm if you know what I mean). Blazing is acctually about the best taunt the pet has.

Bithnar · 05-25-2006, 03:34 PM

Xalmat wrote:
Why are you guys pulling with such high aggro spells? I always, always, always pull with a super low aggro spell (Dust Blast).

To be Honest I usually dont pull with any spell I usually just send in my pet. KoS is the only place that I have used a spell to pull with and really only at the area where the Stonecutter Overseer spawns trying to work my faction up. I'll have to pull dust blast out of my books again.

XtremSummo · 05-26-2006, 12:57 PM

Lol poor man - he asked if anybody else had noticed a change this patch to aggro holding. In answer, he got one "it's been hopeless since forever" type post and a bunch of tactical advice. SMILEY

I haven't played since the last patch, so I'm afraid I can't help you with a response... but I'm guessing that if people are chucking tactical advice out, they've probably not noticed a particular change in the last patch. If there had been, then we usually see a bunch of threads with loads of people complaining about reduced aggro-holding and that's not happened really.

X

Draco the Grey · 05-27-2006, 05:00 AM

To answer the OP's question - Nope. Have never had any issues with the Tank pet holding aggro, neither prior to nor after the last update (well, not counting the pre-LU13 days.) In my experience, both the Avenger and Myrmidon have held aggro like a champ regardless of the situation, and I pull with Swarm of Bats all the time. The only mob I can recall that has given my Tank aggro holding issues is Paroxroz, and that's because he stuns/stifles the crap out of the pet.

TuinalOfTheNexus · 05-30-2006, 08:12 AM

Call it superstition but i find if you have autolock encounter on the pet seems to taunt less; maybe the taunt cycling bug is somehow tied in to this.

Remember swarm pets transfer all their aggro to you when they expire or die. If you stick roaring flames and aqueous hunters at adept III or higher on a mob then chain nuke your pet is likely to lose aggro after exactly 45 seconds. I usually hit the mob with a stun as aqueous is about to expire; then if the pet loses aggro it buys you some time to react.

Bear in mind if you can cancel all DoTs then the root is unbreakable. If it's a lost cause and the pet is never gonna get aggro back just sacrifice it and burn the mob down with shattered terrain / frozen by time / re-root.

Tro · 05-30-2006, 05:53 PM

TuinalOfTheNexus wrote:

Call it superstition but i find if you have autolock encounter on the pet seems to taunt less; maybe the taunt cycling bug is somehow tied in to this.

Remember swarm pets transfer all their aggro to you when they expire or die. If you stick roaring flames and aqueous hunters at adept III or higher on a mob then chain nuke your pet is likely to lose aggro after exactly 45 seconds. I usually hit the mob with a stun as aqueous is about to expire; then if the pet loses aggro it buys you some time to react.

Bear in mind if you can cancel all DoTs then the root is unbreakable. If it's a lost cause and the pet is never gonna get aggro back just sacrifice it and burn the mob down with shattered terrain / frozen by time / re-root.

That doesn't work too well with mobs that cast.. I found out the hard way. Completely forgot about casters. They made quick work of me.

05-24-2006, 04:01 PM	#1
Bithnar Loremaster Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 304	Did anyone notice a problem with the earth pet holding and taking aggro last night? I could cast swarm of bats on a mob last night and half the time I would be half health by the time my pet go aggro. Im lvl 60 and the pet had Elemental vestment running on it at the begining of battles so he's doing masive damage up front to my little 90 or so a tick damage. Also I noticed the pet taking longer to switch to a new target if I so directed it to do so. __________________

05-24-2006, 07:04 PM	#2
Cele General Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,002	Bithnar wrote: Did anyone notice a problem with the earth pet holding and taking aggro last night? I could cast swarm of bats on a mob last night and half the time I would be half health by the time my pet go aggro. Im lvl 60 and the pet had Elemental vestment running on it at the begining of battles so he's doing masive damage up front to my little 90 or so a tick damage. Also I noticed the pet taking longer to switch to a new target if I so directed it to do so. I was just coming here to ask that same question. I am level 33, and my tank pet is Adept III. Suddenly, he is having a hard time holding agro, even if I wait longer than usual before nuking. Odd!! __________________

05-24-2006, 10:45 PM	#5
Xalmat EQ2Achieve.com Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 5,895	How do you open your fights? For me it's always been swarm pets, DoTs, then stun, in that order.Make sure your defense stance is at least Adept III, and you always have your damage shield and Fire Seed buffs on your pet.I also recommend getting the Shockwave achievement. I've had a lot of success with it. Message Edited by Xalmat on 05-24-2006 11:46 AM __________________ EQ2Achieve - Your guide to all EverQuest II Achievements

05-24-2006, 11:21 PM	#6
Bithnar Loremaster Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 304	Xalmat wrote: How do you open your fights? For me it's always been swarm pets, DoTs, then stun, in that order. Make sure your defense stance is at least Adept III, and you always have your damage shield and Fire Seed buffs on your pet. I also recommend getting the Shockwave achievement. I've had a lot of success with it. Message Edited by Xalmat on 05-24-2006 11:46 AM Where I noticed it last night was in Temple grounds. I am still using the Master 2 defensive stance and the pet is Adept 3. I was actually using swarm of bats to pull a scaleborn from around others to keep from getting too close. Once its cleared the area usually 2-3 ticks of the dot it meets my pet. I always have fire seed an damage shield on my pet. Plus I also have elemental vestments on the pet (maybe the wrong name its the one that does 400+ damage for up to 5 hits) its a Master 1. I usually do the same swarm pets then dots. I have never had this problem till last night I have hunted the same area off and on some in lvl 57-60 and never had aggro troubles till last night. It was odd. Message Edited by Bithnar on 05-24-2006 03:22 PM __________________

05-25-2006, 12:55 AM	#8
Bithnar Loremaster Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 304	Like I have said I have done this countless times before without a problem till last night. __________________

05-24-2006, 08:13 PM	#3
Joren_Wolfheart Tester Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 109	I reported this a little over a week ago on test.Seems that the tank pet just isn't taunting very much, and isn't group taunting at all.I'm sure it will get looked at soon. =)

05-24-2006, 08:13 PM	#4
DobyMT Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 568	This has been an issue for months and months, just at lower elvels its hard to notice, cause A) mobs die fast or B) the nuks you are casting aren't causing enough dmg to out-hate the tank pet. Howvever, once you start getting some spell upgrades, you'll notice quickly that the tank pet doen't even actually cast his taunts around half the time. If u use Possess you can FORCE him to use his taunts, but thats really a pointless way to wait 3 minutes per mob to make sure that the taunts have all been cycled LOL. This has been addressed by the entire community, and instead of getting tank pet taunt issues fixed, the devs decided to take some dps from him, thereby lowering his aggro even more. Best bet, don't solo anything that you yourself can't tank.

05-25-2006, 12:22 AM	#7
DobyMT Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 568	You can try to pull with snapping mandibles, thats usually a little less hate than the dot, seeing as the dot is a debuff as well. OR, u can prox pull mobs. Or you can pet pull with Vehement cast. Or, you can pull with Frigid Winds, since it is an unbreakable slow. That was works well for pulling, but as its a dot, and a slow, it really pisses mobs off. I would suggest pulling with a DD, IE, Mandibles, Calcify, and then as the mob came near, rooting, then sending in pet. This is for pet tanking anyway

05-25-2006, 12:58 AM	#9
Xalmat EQ2Achieve.com Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 5,895	Why are you guys pulling with such high aggro spells? I always, always, always pull with a super low aggro spell (Dust Blast). __________________ EQ2Achieve - Your guide to all EverQuest II Achievements

05-25-2006, 03:10 AM	#10
Jeradim Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 130	I pull with the Fiery Doom line because it has a greater range than anything else. If I can't reach it with that I'll pull with the pet (presuming no social mobs). I don't care what spell you lead off with, a tank pet preloaded with BP and/or EV should be able to pull aggro off you. I've definitely noticed that the tank pet isn't taunting much or holding aggro that well, but it didn't just start last night. I wonder if taunting is based on their attack speed somehow? In defensive stance the pet isn't swinging as much so perhaps doesn't fire off taunts as much? Whatever, I've just gotten in the habit of cycling targets like the old days and stunning/rooting/snaring to make my escape if he won't take aggro. I gave up on the tank pet a long time ago and only use him if I absolutely have to. __________________ Jeradim - 63 Conjuror/70 Alchemist Aldurr - 63 Templar/70 Woodworker Pawldo - 70 Fury/70 Tailor Sarith - 70 Monk/70 Carpenter Belldin - 35 Illusionist/70 Jeweler

05-25-2006, 03:51 AM	#11
tbotus Loremaster Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 69	For pulling, send your pet in, then use Call Servant (begin casting as pet runs in), back pet off with the macro and set it to defend itself again. This will eliminate you ever touching the creature and allow for much more DPS throughout the fight. When you pull with a spell, even a low one, the aggro table is more or less permanently slanted towards you regaining the hate.--Raygo __________________

05-25-2006, 08:06 AM	#12
Sagi Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 38	Usually this is how I pull: Scope out a nice spot to sit with a good line for the mob, Frigid Winds, Swarm Pet, Fiery Ann, just to keep aggro from swarm pets, and then send in pet witha stun, sometimes it may take stun and shattered. The pet will gain, and hold, aggro throughout the fight. Pulling with Frigid at max range will usually drain a decent portion of health long before ever having to send in pet, and then using Vehement Stone...........just keep the dps Steady, and remember to lead with blazing when sending in pet to take aggro wheather the pet taunts or not. I keep my Blazing linked to my pet attack hotbutton just for convienance (if thats spelled wrong, I'm kinda out of it atm if you know what I mean). Blazing is acctually about the best taunt the pet has. __________________

05-25-2006, 03:34 PM	#13
Bithnar Loremaster Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 304	Xalmat wrote: Why are you guys pulling with such high aggro spells? I always, always, always pull with a super low aggro spell (Dust Blast). To be Honest I usually dont pull with any spell I usually just send in my pet. KoS is the only place that I have used a spell to pull with and really only at the area where the Stonecutter Overseer spawns trying to work my faction up. I'll have to pull dust blast out of my books again. __________________

05-26-2006, 12:57 PM	#14
XtremSummo General Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 337	Lol poor man - he asked if anybody else had noticed a change this patch to aggro holding. In answer, he got one "it's been hopeless since forever" type post and a bunch of tactical advice. I haven't played since the last patch, so I'm afraid I can't help you with a response... but I'm guessing that if people are chucking tactical advice out, they've probably not noticed a particular change in the last patch. If there had been, then we usually see a bunch of threads with loads of people complaining about reduced aggro-holding and that's not happened really. X

05-27-2006, 05:00 AM	#15
Draco the Grey Loremaster Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 258	To answer the OP's question - Nope. Have never had any issues with the Tank pet holding aggro, neither prior to nor after the last update (well, not counting the pre-LU13 days.) In my experience, both the Avenger and Myrmidon have held aggro like a champ regardless of the situation, and I pull with Swarm of Bats all the time. The only mob I can recall that has given my Tank aggro holding issues is Paroxroz, and that's because he stuns/stifles the crap out of the pet.

05-30-2006, 08:12 AM	#16
TuinalOfTheNexus Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 589	Call it superstition but i find if you have autolock encounter on the pet seems to taunt less; maybe the taunt cycling bug is somehow tied in to this. Remember swarm pets transfer all their aggro to you when they expire or die. If you stick roaring flames and aqueous hunters at adept III or higher on a mob then chain nuke your pet is likely to lose aggro after exactly 45 seconds. I usually hit the mob with a stun as aqueous is about to expire; then if the pet loses aggro it buys you some time to react. Bear in mind if you can cancel all DoTs then the root is unbreakable. If it's a lost cause and the pet is never gonna get aggro back just sacrifice it and burn the mob down with shattered terrain / frozen by time / re-root.

05-30-2006, 05:53 PM	#17
Tro General Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 698	TuinalOfTheNexus wrote: Call it superstition but i find if you have autolock encounter on the pet seems to taunt less; maybe the taunt cycling bug is somehow tied in to this. Remember swarm pets transfer all their aggro to you when they expire or die. If you stick roaring flames and aqueous hunters at adept III or higher on a mob then chain nuke your pet is likely to lose aggro after exactly 45 seconds. I usually hit the mob with a stun as aqueous is about to expire; then if the pet loses aggro it buys you some time to react. Bear in mind if you can cancel all DoTs then the root is unbreakable. If it's a lost cause and the pet is never gonna get aggro back just sacrifice it and burn the mob down with shattered terrain / frozen by time / re-root. That doesn't work too well with mobs that cast.. I found out the hard way. Completely forgot about casters. They made quick work of me.